When two
women were arrested at Liverpool John Lennon Airport accused of trying to check
the body of a relative on to a plane it made international news. The
two Gitta Jarant and Anke Anusic, allegedly arrived at check-in with the body
of Curt Willi Jarant for a flight to Berlin at Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
The women
- his widow and step-daughter - said they thought the 91-year-old, who was
wearing sunglasses and was in a wheelchair, was asleep, but the pair were
arrested on suspicion of failing to give notification of a death.
The plan was most likely motivated by lack of funds to properly repatriate their
loved one. DiasporaFuneralCashPlan.com is particularly handy in that it’s a funeral
insurance which pays out US$ cash/equivalent immediately of proof of death.
But what
is the proper procedure if the unthinkable happens and the body of a loved one
needs to be transported from the UK?
In terms of finances, the family would need cash to cover expenses like body
repatriation, family travel, burial costs on arrival not to mention other
expenses like church service, flowers, food etc.
Once the
person is confirmed dead the first key stage is to get a death certificate.
This also
fulfils the need for the death to be registered in the country where the person
passed away, which is a legal requirement.
Armed
with the deceased proof of ID/passport and death certificate one can engage a
funeral director who specialises in body repatriation.
The
funeral director will liaise with the coroner to gather the relevant documents
needed to arrange body repatriation which are:
1. A "free from infection" certificate
2. An embalming certificate
3. An "out of" certificate [or fiscal certificate in Scotland]
In some
cases, consular staff representing the country that the body is being sent to
may arrange to inspect the coffin and seal it. However, such arrangements would
be made through the funeral director.
Although
the body can be clothed, under no circumstances should the bereaved place other
items - such as some of their loved one's belongings - in the coffin/casket.
Under regulations imposed by the International Air Transport Association,
coffins being used for repatriation must be lined with zinc to create a
hermetic seal. If the deceased is bing repatriated in a casket it also needs to
be lined with zinc.
Zinc is
used because it doesn't prevent checks by X-ray machines, which are a necessary
part of airline security.
In the
case of people who have been cremated, the urn containing ashes must be
hermetically sealed but it doesn't have to be zinc-lined.
And
planes are the usual mode of transport and it is rare for bodies to be
repatriated by sea, rail or car because it usually isn't economically viable or
practical.
The
funeral directors assisting with the body repatriation would normally know the
carriers/flights that accept coffins as cargo.
Consular
staff representing the country the deceased is being sent to can also be
contacted for advice. In some countries you need statutory approval from the receiving
before a body is flown out. You would also arrange for funeral directors who
would receive the body on arrival. Good funeral directors would guide with all
this from start to finish. The cost of repatriation varies depending on where
the body is being repatriated to.